Spiritual Practice of Rodney Karr

Rodney Karr was very gifted in his birth to have been born into a large extended family clan who have maintained ancient Scotts-Irish spiritual traditions throughout the millenia and throughout living in America for hundreds of years. His father, Rex, did not call himself a druid or shaman, but was and fully lived the life of a druid/shaman. Rodney was blessed with being taken by his father to the forests, rivers and beaches of Oregon where he grew up. His father taught him that nature is God/Goddess and that all is sacred including the trees, birds, stones, rivers, etc. He was taught by his father the names and ways of the animals, the secrets of the trees and plants, and the presence of the faery beings. He was taught by his mother Adeline the ways of the second sight (psychic abilities to see through time and space), and a deep connection with the ancestors and the ability to speak to and see them. He was also taught by his mother not to speak of these secrets and gifts to the people of the outer world, who would perceive these things as crazy or demonic. This was a great gift.

It is both a gift and a calling from my family that I continue teaching to others who are gifted and of like spirit the ways of the mysteries and of magic.
Upon entering graduate school in 1970, at the University of Washington, Rodney Karr entered a very materialistic world that denied his spiritual nature. He put his spirituality and connection to nature asside, and persued academic and materialistic goals of money, power, greed and fame. He came to San Francisco in 1975 and between 1975 and 1991, acheived a good deal of success, money, sex, power, prestige, and status. He paid a huge price for this spiritually, ethically, and physically. His inner guide came to him in the form of a vision of Jesus Christ, several times during this period, touched him, and called upon him to do his work in this world. He refused Jesus, and chose to persue sex, money and greed. In 1989, following the Loma Prieta Earth Quake in San Francisco, Rodney Karr went through a major economic and personal crisis, involving costly lawsuits, and his mansion being foreclosed upon and taken from him. Shortly following the foreclosure of his mansion on Divisadero Street, it's new owners cut down a huge ancient Monterey Cypress tree in the yard, which had been Rodney's one last vestige of spiritual connection. He observed in June of 1991, the remnants of the tree being hauled away, which percipitated a spiritual and psychological breakdown for him.

In Druid and Shamanistic tradition, this spiritual, emotional, physical breakdown, is called inspired madness. It is an opportunity for one experiencing it to toally shift ones life and one's consciousness. Following this breakdown, Rodney Karr wandered through Golden Gate park for several weeks, and came upon the Nationals AIDS Memorial Grove, and found Monarch Bear Grove. He began going daily to Monarch Bear Grove, and began meditating and praying within the Goddess altar that was there, and a cirlce of ancient twelth century stones. He came to the place of making a personal committment to steward Monarch Bear Grove, and to accept the calling that his inner teacher guide had placed upon him in the form of Jesus years earlier.

In this state of inspired madness, Rodney Karr began reading Celtic Mythology and Celtic spirituality. He became aware and connected to the Druid and Celtic Spiritual revival in Brittain. Through his readings of books by Catlin Mathews, a member of the OBOD, he made connection to OBOD in Brittain, and began a long term study process to become a druid. He has subsequently been initiated first as a bard, then as an ovate (priest), and finally, as a full teaching druid, of the OBOD. He also began deep spiritual work and initiation with the well known celtic spiritual teacher, R.J. Stewart, over the last 10 years. He is an initiated priest in R.J. Stewart's inner temple tradition (Underworld Tradition).

Rodney Karr has been facilitating three Jungian-Shamanic Groups since 1996. He has over the years developed his own unique teachings, combining Jungian psychology, shamanism, and druid/western mysteries traditions. The groups elucidated in this website are the product of this work.

Rodney Karr is an important leader within the San Francisco / East Bay Pagan Communities. He is chief Druid of the Grove of Mannanan mac Lir of OBOD. He is chief Druid of Golden Gate Park. He is involved in the interfaith-pagan movement in the bay area. He has been organizing for the last three years, Druid rituals and workshops for Pantheacon (an international pagan convention that takes place in San Jose, California). He has been a supporter and participant in the Interfaith Pagan Pride Parade and Celebration which takes place in Berkeley, California.

Rodney in the Interfaith Pride Parade Postcard